1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to electrical card connectors for PC cards, compact flash cards, and memory cards.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 10 shows a connector of this type. The connector comprises an elongated housing body 52, a plurality of contact elements 51 provided in the housing body 52 for electrical contact with a card P, and a pair of guide arms 53 extending rearwardly from opposite ends of the housing body 52 for guiding the card P. The contact elements 51 extend through the housing body 52 with a predetermined pitch. The front ends of the contact elements 51 are bent in a direction perpendicular to the sheet and the rear ends project from the housing body. A pair of card guiding channels 53A are provided in the insides of the guide arms 53.
An ejector mechanism is provided on the connector body to eject the card P. The ejector mechanism comprises an ejector bar 54 movable along one of the guide arms 53 and having a push button 54A, a slider 55 movable along the housing body 52, and an ejector lever 57 rotatable at a fulcrum 56 and engageable with the slider 55. When the push button 54A is depressed, the ejector lever is rotated counterclockwise to push the abutment portion 57A of the slider 55 rearwardly.
The housing body 52 and the guide arms 53 are placed on a circuit board and the connection sections of the contact elements 51 are soldered to traces of the circuit board.
As shown by an arrow, the card P is pushed into the housing body while being guided by the guide arms 53 and connected to the contact sections of the contact elements 51. To eject the card, the push button 54A is depressed to move the ejector bar 54 and the ejector lever 57 so that the claw portions 55B of the slider 55 push the card P rearwardly to a card removal position.
As automatic assembling of electronic equipment advances, the connector is also automatically installed by a robot along with other electronic parts. The connector is brought to a predetermined position by the robot by applying a sucker to the central flat portion of the slider 55 where a center of gravity is located.
However, the slider 55 is movable along the housing body 52 and the guide arms 53 so that the position and angles or posture of the connector are unstable during the transportation by the robot. Consequently, the connector can be placed on a circuit board at a wrong position. If the guide arms are pulled up by the robot, the connector tends to be inclined because they are not the center of gravity.
In this way, the connector is not suitable for automatic assembling, and there is a demand for an improved connector.